The present invention relates to a beverage dispenser, and more specifically, relates to a beverage dispenser capable of pouring out beverages by manually or automatically operating a lever of a pouring faucet provided in the main body of the dispenser.
An apparatus for pouring a sparkling beverage by lever operation; for example, a beer server has an operating lever on a beer pouring faucet provided in the main body and some of the beer server has a function, after tilting the lever manually in a predetermined direction to pour a desired amount of beer into a jug, to post-pour frothy beer onto the head of beer in the jug by tilting the lever in the opposite direction. However, when beer and the head are poured out by manual lever operation, there are disadvantages that irregularity of the poured amount due to a difference of operator""s skill will occur. Thus, an automatic pouring apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 9-13229 is proposed to automatically operate the operating lever by a drive mechanism. This apparatus is designed such that a drive mechanism provided in the main body and an operating lever on the pouring faucet are linked by a linking mechanism and beer and the head are poured out by moving the operating lever back and forth by operating the drive mechanism.
In the above-mentioned automatic pouring apparatus, since the drive mechanism and the operating lever are linked by the linking mechanism, these components are not easily detachable from each other. Thus. provided that the drive mechanism is locked during beer pouring, it becomes impossible to return the operating lever to the initial position, whereby excess beer or the head is possibly poured out in vain. Further, at the time of breakdown of the drive mechanism, it is difficult to manipulate the operating lever so that a problem is pointed out where the beer server cannot be used until repair is finished. And furthermore, since the drive apparatus is fixedly provided in the main body. a repairman has to repair the drive apparatus under the fixed condition on the main body which leads to a complicated and troublesome operation.
The present invention is proposed to preferably solve the problems inherent in beverage dispensers according to conventional techniques. It is, therefore, to provide a beverage dispenser being easily detachable from the operating lever of the drive apparatus, capable of easily changing the manual and automatic operations of the lever, and capable of easily removing the drive apparatus from the main body to carry out maintenance outside.
To solve the above-mentioned problems and attain the required objects, a beverage dispenser according to the present invention, which is capable of pouring beverages into a vessel by operating an operating lever of a pouring faucet provided in the main body of the beverage dispenser by means of a drive apparatus, is characterized in that:
the drive apparatus includes drive means that moves an engagement portion, which is detachably engageable with the operating lever, in the operational direction of the lever, and
the drive apparatus is positioned at an operating position for the main body where the engagement portion engages with the operating lever, and the drive apparatus is moved so as to estrange the engagement, portion from the operating lever so that manual operation of the lever is permitted.